Fitness Journey

In the beginning I was a 206lb "flabalicious" fat guy rapidly approaching the big 3-0. So, how am I doing? Today, about seven months in, I weighed 166.6lbs. Over the holidays I went back up to 178 lbs, but now I am working on reaching my goal of 159 lbs, 7% body fat, and a Ninja Warrior ready body.

We begin with the search term that was good enough to become the title of this post. Seriously, I mention going to the zoo twice and all of a sudden I get THREE hits from people searching the term:

hitler going to the zoo

This of course made me curious. Are there three people out there who are really interested in seeing Hitler take a brisk yet leisurely walk through a zoo somewhere in Germany? How odd.

im a big guy and i want to make sex more

Sorry, I can’t help you with that. However, I can help with your syntax and grammar. Why not try this search term next time, “I am a full-bodied corpulent man interested in finding a woman with whom I might engage in various acts of fornication and obtain a high degree of carnal knowledge of her female form.” Hey, at least it sounds more sophisticated and less..uh..cavemanish.

After processing the news of Tony Snow’s passing I knew there was something I had to do. I had to pay a visit to the Daily Kos and see what the folks over there thought of the passing of this genuinely good and kind man who left behind a wife and three children. What I found what about as revolting as the time back in college when I accidentally took a swig from my roommates dip bottle- which was all to inconspicuously disguised as an ordinary Coke bottle and in very close proximity to my Coke bottle.

I will warn you that the comments are quite vulgar. I must also give props to those on the comment board who had the moral courage to condemn those spewing pointless vitriol- thank you all for standing up to a conmmon decency that knows no political bounds.

Why am I republishing these awful comments? I think that republishing these comments on this blog can lead to a teachable moment, a moment I will capitalize on next week in a post under the intellectual transformation series. [Note: All of the below quotes can be found at this thread on the Daily Kos]

“Tony knew that his boss was full of shit and that he was lying to the American people everyday. He gets no kudos for being a lying sack of shit. Yes its terrible for his young children, but it is also terrible for the young children of soldiers who keep getting killed because of the bullshit this lying sack of crap spewed everyday from his podeium. rest in hell.” -Rogereaton

One can have little doubt that what the poster (and countless other folks after him) considered “lies” were more likely than not points of political difference- instances where Tony Snow or those he represented drew different conclusions from the same facts. Yet, Mr. Eaton is more than happy to condemn Tony Snow to the darkest pits of hell because of their political disagreements. I guess we are lucky this guy isn’t actually in charge of who gets what final destination. Aside: For those of you looking for the proper application of the admonishments against judging others found in the New Testament, here you have a perfect example.

“I am a little baffled by the kind words for Mr. Snow on this blog today. Here was a man who could have used his talents to better the world, and he chose to do the complete opposite. I am not sure how he slept at night. My condolances (sic) to his family, but I can’t be sad that he’s gone.”- unionsally

While I am glad she expressed some concern over Tony Snow getting some rest- since we all know a good nights sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle- some might consider it a tres bit gauche to make sweeping moral claims about the dead. Perhaps we can all find some way to at least stay quiet if we can’t say anything nice about those recently departed.

“You were my favorite of the Bush administration’s apologistic (sic) panderers. You were a good spokesman for the side of evil and if not for your cancer, would have easily had a promising career in televangilism (sic) should you have chosen to pursue one.”- Juliewolf

The best that I can say is that perhaps this is an attempt at humor that took a disappointing turn. Note how she connects Tony Snow with “the side of evil” and suggests a possible career in televangelism- since we all know televangelists are horrible people right? All I want to know is whether Ms. Wolf was among those who decried President Bush when he called North Korea, Iran, and Iraq an “axis of evil.” (A statement I had problems with at the time, although no doubt for completely different reasons. Especially since I do believe that the North Korean governmental system is a clearly evil system.) (more…)

I think I will start a weekly post that links to several insightful articles. After all I read quite a few each day, and would like to share them with you. Not just because they are good articles, but because this blog is in many ways about personal disclosure- so I certainly won’t go out of my way to hide my political interests. [BTW: As of now I am considered an unaffiliated voter since the state of N.C. no longer recognizes the Libertarian party].

This would be ridiculous if it weren’t true. In a nation where it isn’t illegal to burn the flag, where one can submerge a cross in urine (and get a federal grant), apparently you can’t put a Koran in the toilet. Making matters worse, noted statist Bill O’Reilly approved of the criminal charges.

I presume Bill is supporting these charges in an effort to appear even handed, since at heart he would probably like to be able to prosecute people who submerge crosses in urine or paint the Virgin Mary using dung. But I ask, what about the freedom to offend? This kind of thing gets my blood boiling. I would take my bar (if I had a spare $3,000 and three months to study non-stop) just to take this case to court.

Stanislav Shmulevich, you have my complete support. While your actions may have been at the least tacky, at the worst they were offensive. And causing offense is NEVER illegal, it is at the core of protected speech.

There are a lot of parts of my daily routine that I have left out of my regular posts. These are important aspects of my routine that should be shared, but for various and sundry reasons, don’t enter my postings.

First, Bible study. The goal was 30 to 45 minutes of Bible study each morning. I wish I could say I was consistently faithful to this goal, but truth is I have been no to be slack and forget this as I get caught up in various projects (whether it be running or writing). As of today I have recommitted myself to this goal and increased it to an hour each day. To up the ante, I am going to make a deal with myself. If I miss my bible study then I must miss dinner- and I love dinner.

Second, stretching. I try to stretch each morning. Nothing complex, not formal yoga or anything similar, just simple stretches- legs, back, arms, chest, and neck. I also stretch again before a run or workout.

Third, play. Aside form occasionally stepping in dog poop, I enjoy going outside with my dogs and chasing them (often they are the ones chasing me). We play quite rough, and Lucius can take a good slap to the snout. I do need to spend more time training them formally. But, I don’t want to give up the play time, it is really refreshing and fun.

Fourth, family. Last, but not least, is spending time with my family. I find that more often than not this is a great way to fresh and replenish a weary spirit and body. Nothing like the joy in my daughter’s eyes when I set up her train set, or when we make Dora and Boots out of Play-doh.

I was tagged several days ago by Lose-weight-with-me regarding what goals I had- regarding both this fitness program and life in general. So without further adieu, here is my list of goals, broken into four categories: short term (those which can be accomplished in less than 6 months), mid-range (those which can be achieved within 1 to 3 years), long term (those that will take 5 or more years to achieve), and underlying (those which should motivate me everyday).

Short Term Goals

1) Lose another 24 lbs (reach 160lbs). This is quite doable in six months. The math says that I only need to lose 1 pound per week.

2) Decrease waist size to 30 inches. This is achievable. When accomplished I will have half a dozen pants that fit me again- finally.

3) Run a 5k. Why not? I figure it will be a good motivation technique. While I dislike running, I love winning things. I want to place first- but we shall see. At this point I would be happy to complete the course.

4) Publication. Publish at least one of the articles I am currently working on.

5) Corporate Paperwork. I want to begin the necessary paperwork to incorporate the corp. my wife and I will use to purchase and run our future farm (more details later).

Mid-Range Goals

1) Publication. At least four articles published. I would love to see at least one each in the North Carolina Historical Review and the Journal of Southern History.

2) Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle. I want to stay within a range between 160 and 165 pounds; continue eating healthy and in moderately sized portions; drinking lots of water; and regularly exercising.

3) Save Money. I need to save up for the farm/charity my wife and I are planning. It will take a good amount of investment on our part- and deprivation from now until then- but it will be worth it.

Ideally the farm will act in several charitable capacities. A “kitchen” for the local poor (as we will give food items grown to local families in need [i.e. milk, eggs, fruit, etc.]). A no-kill animal shelter (dog, horse, sheep, etc.) that will also function as a program for at-risk kids- said children will work with the dogs to train them for new homes while hopefully gaining an appreciation for love and grace in their own lives.

4) Completion of my Ph.D. program.

Long Range Goals

1) Obtaining a U.S. History teaching position somewhere in North Carolina- Asheville and Wilmington preferred. University of North Carolina- at Asheville is my number one choice as far as I am concerned.

“Don Imus’s banishment from the public airwaves also deprives him of a critical platform to raise money for the sprawling Imus Ranch, where children with cancer and other illnesses get a taste of the cowboy life…

…Imus said he and his wife Deirdre are round-the-clock surrogate parents to the youngsters who spend a week at the property, nearly half of whom are from minority groups and 10 percent are black.”

[Someone who asked a similar question stirred up a lively debate over at “Yahoo! Answers” (See also this discussion on the same forum). For those of you unaware of Sharpton’s slash and burn (not to mention callous disregard for the truth) past see Larry Elder’s recent article. I’ll leave you to decide if Imus’s good works are of far greater worth than three words- “nappy headed hos.”

Aside: I despise this topic; however, I discuss it because the media has turned it into a major news event. I emphatically state for the record that I can’t stand Imus or his radio show.

For your perusal I have also linked to several comments on Imus’s firing.

“Wavy Gravy says he salutes mistakes. They’re what makes us human, he claims. And humanity beyond doubt, is what appears to be missing from this equation. If we’ve lost the ability to laugh at ourselves, to laugh at each other, to laugh together, then the PC world has succeeded in diminishing us all.”

[When asked to defend a rap act where the N-word was used more than 100 times (I bet if the H word (ho) and the B word (b*tch) had been counted the tally would have been much higher) the student body president responded with the following statement- contained in the article linked above]

“In a clear sign of its intent to reign in dissident American media personalities, and their growing influence in American culture, US War Leaders this past week launched an unprecedented attack upon one of their most politically ‘connected’, and legendary, radio hosts named Don Imus after his threats to release information relating to the September 11, 2001 attacks upon that country.”

“Thou shalt not hang out with horndogs. Hanging out with guys who hateth their wives, who loveth to indulge in the superfluity of naughtiness and who are out to convert the faithful to the Cult of Infidelity is muy goofy. Be not deceived: bad company will land thee in a strip club or an illicit affair which will causeth thou to meet with the chainsaw of Jehovah. Be afraid.”

[An excellent list of ten rules to live by that will keep us men out of most of the stupid and ridiculous situation we often find ourselves in. I also recommend my series (a new section is in the works) on living the deliberate life.]